Sunday, April 17, 2011

We Are Coming Out Of The Woodwork!

The world of daily bicycling in North America is evolving rapidly. Not only are the options for city bicycles and more utilitarian platforms being explored, more and more of them are being used and seen on the streets!

Yep. That's a hill and we are going up it on cargo bikes. It does happen.

On our way home from a family outing to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown, we ran into this lovely woman and her family. I was so happy to have a second family doing the same thing as us. It was really nice to ride next to people who didn't think we are superheroes because they know it is just regular old life.

I wish this picture showed all of the riders queued up behind us at the light. Cargo bikes, families, young people on their way out with friends, teenagers.... just the people who live in the City.

As I am writing this at the end of a very long day, I forget their names, but I will not forget how lovely it was to ride together across a couple of neighborhoods and chat about how much our lives have changed with the coming of our bicycles (although there was some discussion of how much the women of the story looked forward to getting back on their motorcycles, soon!).

I can honestly say that may favorite thing about discovering my life on my bicycle has been watching the evolution around me. Everyday, I meet a new person who has come to find a better way to live through their bicycle and seeing their joy and, quite frankly, their emancipation never gets old!

I agree. I love see the evolution of cycling as a form of transport in the US. My cousin and her husband are recent converts in Phoenix. I think they will definitely influence their friends to give it a try just by being about to model how much the enjoy it.